Counselors prepare a plan for the transfer of clients and the dissemination of records to an identified colleague or records custodian in the case of the counselor's incapacitation, death, retirement, or termination of practice.

...psychologists make reasonable efforts to plan for facilitating services in the event that psychological services are interrupted by factors such as the psychologist's illness, death, unavailability, relocation or retirement ...

Social workers who anticipate the termination or interruption of services to clients should notify clients promptly and seek the transfer, referral, or continuation of services...

Now Also Available In Print Version!

About The Book & Templates

Is Your Practice Prepared to Be Closed Due to Emergency, Disaster, Illness, Death, or Retirement?

Health care professionals are so busy caring for others that tending to the business aspects of their practice is a challenge. Despite emergency planning being an ethical requirement, it is often overlooked. Without it, those left to pick up the pieces are directionless. Details like contacting patients, billing for work, or accessing Electronic Health Records and other computer systems can significantly hamper closure. With proper planning and organization, greater crisis can be avoided.

Private Practice Preparedness: The Health Care Professional's Guide to Closing a Practice Due to Retirement, Death, or Disability provides the information and tools to ensure a smooth transition of care. Beyond the scope of a personal or professional will, Wheeler and Reinhardt share information, as well as tools to collect and organize such materials. In-depth descriptions of the roles of the Emergency Response Team for closing a practice, their duties, and templates to assist in carrying them out are included. All tools needed for anyone in private practice to respond to an emergency thoroughly and quickly are laid out in this book.

Included in the purchase of the book are templates that help you collect and organize important information needed to run your practice. Tying all of this information together is the Step-By-Step Guide to Closing a Practice. This guide can be used to efficiently locate all information required to run, and close, your practice, if necessary. The templates provided are useful in an emergency, and also:

Locating important information on a daily basis

Training new employees

Planning in advance for retirement and/or sale of the practice

Topics discussed include:

Identifying people to be on your Emergency Response Team

The concerns around selecting a loved one as the responsible party taking over practice operations

Handling the transfer of records, both paper and electronic

HIPAA/HITECH

Billing and financial records

Computer and Software considerations

Other points of consideration

Once you've purchased and registered the book, you will have access to the following templates, which are customizable for your practice:

Practice Reference – A record of all important information about the practice

Records Custodian Agreement

Sample Retirement Notice

Sample Closure Notice

Sample Telephone Message

Computer & Software Inventory

Step-by-Step Guide to Closing a Practice

In addition, registered buyers are also eligible for the following special offers (currently valued at over $40!)*: